Five
People Arrested for Illegally Trading in American Caviar from Fish
in Southeast Waters

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

April 24, 2003

Contact:Jim Rothschild, (678) 296-6272

Jackson, TN
--- On April 16, 2003, five individuals from Russia and other Eastern
block nations were arrested in New York and Los Angeles on an 8-count
indictment handed down by a Federal grand jury in Jackson, Tennessee
for illegally trading in caviar derived from paddlefish and domestic
sturgeon unlawfully taken and sold from U.S. lakes and rivers in Tennessee
and Kentucky. The arrests resulted from a 2-year undercover investigation
conducted by special agents of the U.S.
Fish and Wildlife Service and State wildlife officers from
the Tennessee
Wildlife Resources Agency.

Valeri and Gennady
Akselrud, owners of D & G Trading Company of Staten Island, New
York, Arkady Voloshin, owner of Kashtan Wholesale Groceries/Kashtan
Russian Cuisine of West Hollywood, California, and Marc and Irina Akselrud,
operators of Caviar and Delicatessen Trading Company of Los Angeles,
California, were charged with conspiracy and violations of the Federal
Lacey Act by unlawfully dealing in what is known as “American
caviar” in interstate commerce. The American caviar was often
labeled and sold as Russian caviar.

Under the indictment,
Valeri and Gennady Akselrud were each charged with one count of conspiracy
and six counts of violations of the Lacy Act and Arkady Voloshin and
Marc Akselrud were each charged with one count of conspiracy and three
counts of violations of the Lacey Act. Irina Akselrud was charged with
one count of conspiracy to violate the Lacey Act.

After their arrest,
Valeri and Gennady Akselrud were released awaiting trial after each
posted a bond of $250,000. Arkady Voloshin was released under $100,000
bond and Marc and Irina Akselrud were released under $10,000 bond each.

These arrests follow
the convictions of eight other individuals and four other businesses
in Tennessee, Kentucky and New York whose illegal caviar dealings were
exposed during the course of the investigation. Another subject and
business remain under indictment and are awaiting trial in Kentucky
at this time. Service and State conservation agencies launched this
investigation in 1998 to stem the growing illegal take of U.S. caviar-producing
species, such as paddlefish, short-nosed sturgeon, and the endangered
pallid sturgeon. Depletion of sturgeon populations in the Black and
Caspian Sea regions and continued global demand for caviar have prompted
increased exploitation of U.S. fish and profiteering in domestic roe,
much of it falsely labeled and sold as high-price Russian caviar.

“The natural
resources of the United States are part of our cherished heritage and,
if properly managed, a source of continued benefit to all Americans,”
said Thomas M. Riley, Special Agent in Charge of the U.S.
Fish and Wildlife Service’s Southeastern Region. “History
repeatedly shows that species subjected to unrestricted commercial trade
quickly vanish. We can only conserve resources if we use them wisely.”

The Lacey Act makes
it a violation of Federal law to knowingly transport, sell, receive,
acquire and purchase in interstate commerce, any fish and wildlife taken,
possessed, transported and sold in violation of any law and regulation
of any State; and to knowingly make and submit any false record, account,
and label for any false identification of any fish, wildlife which has
been and intended to be transported in interstate commerce. The maximum
criminal penalty, per Lacey Act violation is 5 years imprisonment and
a fine of $250,000 for individuals and the fine doubles to $500,000
for a corporation or business.

The U.S. Fish and
Wildlife Service is the principal Federal agency responsible for conserving,
protecting and enhancing fish, wildlife and plants and their habitats
for the continuing benefit of the American people. The Service manages
the 94-million-acre National Wildlife Refuge System which encompasses
541 national wildlife refuges, thousands of small wetlands and other
special management areas. It also operates 69 national fish hatcheries,
64 fishery resource offices and 78 ecological services field stations.
The agency enforces Federal wildlife laws, administers the Endangered
Species Act, manages migratory bird populations, restores nationally
significant fisheries, conserves and restores wildlife habitat such
as wetlands, and helps foreign governments with their conservation efforts.
It also oversees the Federal Aid program that distributes hundreds of
millions of dollars in excise taxes on fishing and hunting equipment
to state fish and wildlife agencies.